Under A Dead Tree
by ShadowSeductress
Summary: A novelization of a classic moment in Ocarina of Time. One Shot.


**AN: I always wanted to novelize Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask but I never thought I could do them justice. So this is just something a whipped up on a whim. It still needs some editing, so feel free to leave me any comments or messages if you see something that needs fixing. I love hearing your thoughts and reviews. I am not a great self editor. Thanks for taking the time to read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda or any of the characters. **

As the door closed behind him, fog erupted all around. He was entirely blanketed in it. The warm, soggy air made it hard to breath and even more difficult to see. Something was not right. The hair on his arms stood on end, chills ran down his spine, somewhere deep down his instincts told him he should be alarmed. As the fog began to settle he saw something in the distance, dark and tall. His body began to act on it's own. Months of fighting for his life took control and his sword was drawn from his sheath before he knew he was doing it.

He walked slowly across the floor, trying to assess his surroundings. It was useless, he couldn't even see the floor through the film. He wasn't surprised at the splashing sound that his boots made as he crept. This whole place was filled with water; this room should be no different. The mist moved around his legs as he walked. The further he got into the room the clearer things became.

The floor wasn't just wet, it was water itself. He was walking on a perfectly clear, reflective pool of water. He couldn't see the bottom. It was almost like a mirror, reflecting his thin face in the wakes. He quickly looked away, unnerved by his reflection. How he was standing on the surface of this water without falling through was a mystery to him. These temples often held many secrets; they did not make sense and did many things that he did not understand. He moved forward to the center of the room. A lone island with a lone dead tree stood before him. Most likely the dark figure he had seen through the fog only moments before. It was gnarled and the branches threatened to snap at any minute. It bore no leaves or fruit. He sheathed his sword and ran his gloved hands over the tree's surface, looking for a reason for this phenomenon. He felt over the rough and twisted surface, carefully pressing and pulling on each knot and knob. Nothing revealed itself to him. Confused, he went for the door on the other end, hoping to leave this room behind him. He didn't like the way it made him feel.

The room was massive. It seemed to grow as he walked for the door. It took him what felt like an eternity to finally reach it. The bars that blocked his progression were no stranger to him. This is what he feared. There was a puzzle here he would need to solve to progress. He was stuck here breathing in the sticky, hot air until he could figure out how to get out.

He turned around, feeling defeated, this temple had been enough of a strain on him. Between the constant changing of the water levels and having to depend on a magical tunic to breath underwater, this temple had been taxing on Link's nerves. Looking into the water below him, he stared at his reflection, something wasn't right about it. Maybe it was the way the water moved, distorting the image, or maybe it was just a little bit of sleep deprivation and paranoia.

There was that chill again, it threatened to freeze him where he was, but he had been in scarier positions before. A room with a tree should be the least of his worries. He slowly lifted his head, staring at the tree before him. His heart picked up pace, thudding hard in his chest. Something was there that wasn't there before.

'It is just a shadow,' Even trying to convince himself of that he knew it wasn't true. He took a step forward, from this distance it was hard to see anything for sure. As he neared, squinting through the haze, it slowly took shape. A man, leaning against the tree perhaps? Link called to him, but his cries just echoed endlessly in the room.

He was almost upon him now. He was most definitely a man. When he was almost within arms length of him he realized what he was looking at. A shadow, a shadow of himself. The hazy figured followed his movements perfectly. When Link turned his head, so did his counterpart. Aside from the coloring, he would have sworn he was looking in a mirror, or the reflection in the water.

The figure's eyes burned into Link. The solid, blood red eyes were the only thing that didn't seem to move with the mist. He could feel something in them, in that moment he knew that this being was more than a shadow. Every mistake he ever made, every ounce of malice he ever felt, every time he wanted to do something against what he knew was right shone back at him. He could feel the shadow's analytical glare, the hostility and rage that burned beneath them. Slowly Link redrew his sword. In perfect unison the monstrosity in front of him did the same. He knew in this moment what was meant to be done.

Link lunged with a downward strike with the blade, but the shadow did the same, the blades clashed. The sharp sound of the metal blared throughout the room. A horizontal blow this time, but no, he was stopped in his tracks again. A jab? Everything he threw at the monster he countered perfectly. He knew all of his tricks; he knew all of his techniques. He was not a shadow of himself, but rather a part of himself. The part of him he had tried to repress.

He would occasionally slip up, and the shadow would get in a slice. Cutting away his thin clothes and into his tender flesh. Link even managed to hit him a few times. When he did, the beast would melt down into the water bellow them and reappear somewhere behind him and come in for another blow.

They battled for what seemed like hours, slashing and thrusting away. Link grew tired, his breath growing rapid, heart racing. His chest hurt from the boiling air. His cuts were bleeding, his white shirt and tights stained from the long battle. His opponent however did not. He still stood tall, ready to counter the Hero of Time.

Link took in a deep breath and filled his lungs with determination. He had not come all this way for nothing. The medallions around his neck glowed, reminding him of the friends that had helped him get here, that were relying on him now. He was not going to let them down. He lunged at the man in front of him, their swords clashed over and over again. The noise rang in his ears, but he continued, unrelenting. Finally the shadow could not keep up with his attacks and the master sword cleaved through the terrible vision in front of him. He screamed as death took him. The sound rocked Link down the core. That was his voice, in pain, dying. The body fell and melded into the water below him and was no more.

Link fell to his knees his heart was racing. He had essentially just watched himself die. He tried to shake the image of his body bleeding away but he couldn't. The sound of his death cry got louder and louder till he couldn't bare it anymore. He covered his ears and screamed back at it until his head became clear.

The bars on the door lifted and Link slowly rose to his feet. His body was soaked with both warm water and blood, his mind plagued by the horrors he had just faced, he trudged to the doorway. Exhausted, he turned to look at where the battle had taken place. He couldn't believe what he was looking at.

Gone.

All of it was gone.

There was no tree, no water, only a small room stood before him. Maybe only a few feet across and wide. His mind raced, his heart pounded and he quickly left the room behind him. Still he couldn't help but wonder if any of it had happened at all…


End file.
